A. Field
This disclosure relates generally to injection devices and more particularly to an injection aid for use with an injection device to enhance ease and accuracy of administration of an injection, including self-administration of an injection.
B. Description of Related Art
A variety of devices for facilitating injection of medicament into a human or animal subject are known in the art. Some current injection devices include a safety device, such as a needle guard, coupled with a syringe to reduce the chances of accidental needle sticks and to facilitate safer disposal of the syringe.
A relatively large compressive force is exerted on the plunger of the syringe by the syringe barrel to provide for a tight, leak-proof seal. This quality of the seal, as well as the viscosity of the drug, gauge of the needle, and self-injector's dexterity, can make the movement of the plunger difficult. Typically, a user applies three fingers on one hand during the injection process to overcome/exert these forces: the thumb which exerts a force on the plunger rod and the index and middle fingers which hold the barrel or needle guard of the syringe. Barrels and needle guards may include a finger grip or flange to facilitate controlling the rate of movement of the plunger relative to the syringe. Often, the small surface area of the finger grips is not easily handled by a user with low dexterity. Further, the possibility exists that the needle shield (cover) may be pulled at an angle, which may result in the needle bending and/or breaking. There is also difficulty in achieving consistent injection depth, especially in self-injection scenarios.
Thus, it would be desirable to provide an injection aid to improve patient experience related to self-injection, such that the injection aid ensures adequate and consistent exposed needle length for injection (to target subcutaneous delivery). It would also be desirable to provide an injection aid that provides a comfortable user interface to the patient in terms of handling and injecting, with more surface area for steadier handling. It would further be desirable to provide an injection aid that always removes the needle shield in the axial direction so the needle is less prone to bending or breaking.